According to reports, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro had a tense meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. The subject of that meeting was her withdrawal of charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Pirro was spotted on Monday (Aug. 3), heading to the White House by a photographer with CBS News. Photos showed her arriving with a large office box in tow, just before Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
From there, according to the New York Times, Pirro explained to Trump, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Counsel David Warrington that she felt Burgum was purposely misleading Trump about the case.
Pirro even directly confronted Burgum, accusing him of trying to cover up his mistakes. Burgum reportedly worked to defend himself, while not talking as much as Pirro, according to the outlet’s sources.
The former Fox News host was under fire last week after her office submitted a 20-page motion to dismiss charges against David Hearn, a former Olympic canoeist. The filing contained the admission that Pirro and her office rushed to indict on incomplete evidence and assumptions.
The document also detailed how Pirro felt that Burgum and his department didn’t oversee the contractors hired to renovate the pool. Atlantic Industrial Coatings was the main company that worked on the pool. Pirro also alleged that U.S. Park Police officials were incompetent.
Trump had expressed his anger over Pirro withdrawing the charge against Hearn, writing on his Truth Social media platform that he felt she “choked.” He even voiced his displeasure at the Oval Office. “I was disappointed in Jeanine Pirro. Really disappointed in Jeanine Pirro,” he told reporters. “She folded like an umbrella.”
CNN reported that Trump had considered firing her, but it appears that Pirro’s spirited defense has kept her safe for the time being. Trump still openly believes vandals damaged the landmark.
